Varna Province

Varna Mayor Ivan Portnih has said that the local authorities are issuing orders for forced evacuation as some people refuse to leave their homes.

In a Sunday interview for the Bulgarian National Television, Portnih informed that the local authorities had prepared for emergency evacuations due to the refusal of people living in dangerous buildings to leave them.

Two children are still missing after the floods ravaged Varna's Asparuhovo district, another person has been reported missing, too.

So far, 11 people have died as a result of the torrential rains in Bulgaria's port city of Varna. For the past day, firefighters responded to more than 120 calls in the Varna region, 54 of them concerned the Asparuhovo district.

A nationwide campaign has raised more than BGN 500,000 for the victims of the floods in northeastern Bulgaria, Saturday.

The money has been raised through sms donations containing the text "DMS VARNA" to the short code 17 777 and will be used to aid all flood-hit areas in the country.

The floods that hit northeastern Bulgaria will have negative impact on the tourism, the crops and the infrastructure, according to Deputy Prime Minister Daniela Bobeva.

Some 1200 tourists in Bulgaria's Black Sea resort of Albena have been evacuated from hotels located near the Balata Reserve due to the risk of flooding from the Batovska river.

No guests of the resort have been injured, Vesti.bg reports.

A third victim was reported in Dobrich after torrential rains caused tremendous floods in the northeastern Bulgarian town, Mayor Detelina Nikolova said.

Authorities have admitted they are still trying to get hold of what they described as a "complicated" situation in the town.

The tragedy in Varna's district of Asparuhovo is caused entirely by a human error, experts told the Capital.bg website. 

According to Asen Lichev, director of the Water Management department in the Environment and Waters Ministry, the main cause of the flood is “the humans' suicidal behaviour”. 

Romania is ready to provide teams and equipment to the flood-hit areas in Bulgaria, the state secretary at the Romanian Transport Ministry Iulian Matache announced.

Raging waters have taken away entire roads, plumbing and electric cables in Asparuhovo district in the Black Sea city of Varna, Petar Garbuzov from Varna Municipality announced.

He advised people to avoid traveling to the district without "a serious motive" to do so.

At least 12 die as torrential rain, floods hit Bulgaria

VARNA -- Twelve people have died while several others are missing after torrential rain and heavy floods hit the port city of Varna, Bulgarian officials said.

The government in Sofia declared Monday, June 23, a day of mourning for the victims.